Prudential PLC Decreases Stake in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Prudential PLC lessened its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 29.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,145 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,004 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $2,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hilltop Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the third quarter valued at about $230,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 4.6% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 17,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,142,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in Xcel Energy by 67.4% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 26,143 shares of the company's stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 10,530 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Xcel Energy by 4.1% during the third quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 56,831 shares of the company's stock worth $3,711,000 after buying an additional 2,247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management purchased a new stake in Xcel Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $417,000. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:XEL traded up $0.80 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $69.21. The stock had a trading volume of 823,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,590,214. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's 50 day moving average is $69.05 and its 200-day moving average is $67.60. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.97 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.93.

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Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a net margin of 14.40% and a return on equity of 10.65%. Research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Xcel Energy

In other news, Director Devin W. Stockfish bought 2,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $68.93 per share, with a total value of $149,578.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,272.51. The trade was a 259.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on XEL shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Xcel Energy from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. UBS Group raised their target price on Xcel Energy from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Xcel Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.

Xcel Energy Profile

Xcel Energy Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchasing, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. It operates through Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility, and All Other segments. The company generates electricity through wind, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, and solar energy sources, as well as coal, natural gas, oil, wood, and refuse-derived fuels.